"Ireland's best friend in the White House" was the slogan on the material distributed by IrishAmerican Democrats who worked for the re-election of President Clinton in November 1996.
As the President confronts the crisis, most Irish-Americans will be hoping they will not lose this "friend" - especially with the peace process facing into its most critical phase. The Government in Dublin will share these hopes.
While Mr Clinton's involvement in Northern Ireland has been one of encouragement rather than direct intervention, his disappearance from the scene would be greeted with dismay by all who are hoping for a successful conclusion to the multi-party talks.
The Vice President, Mr Al Gore, who would replace the President in the case of his resignation, has kept himself fully briefed on the Northern Ireland situation and takes a personal interest in it. He sits in on most of the meetings in the White House between senior politicians from Ireland and the President.
But it has been Mr Clinton who has made the important decisions and has built up relations with the leading players in the peace process. The most obvious example was over the granting of a visa for the Sinn Fein leader, Mr Gerry Adams, early in 1994 before the first IRA ceasefire.
The US State Department, the Department of Justice, the FBI and the British government all strongly advised against the granting of the visa at a time when Sinn Fein was associated with the terrorist actions of the IRA and the US was a determined foe of international terrorism. But President Clinton instead followed advice from the then Taoiseach, Mr Albert Reynolds, the US ambassador, Ms Jean Kennedy Smith, and influential figures on Capitol Hill, and approved the visa.
The first IRA ceasefire followed months later and this allowed Mr Clinton to authorise a series of economic measures to back up the peace process and appoint former Senator George Mitchell as a key figure and adviser. Mr Clinton's triumphant visit to Northern Ireland in 1995 put the seal on his personal involvement.
Irish-Americans - many of whom would disapprove of Mr Clinton's support for abortion - realised that for the first time there was a President in the White House who would go against the traditional State Department line concerning Northern Ireland - that it is London's business and Britain is one of Washington's most loyal allies.
Even after the ending of the IRA ceasefire in February 1996, when President Clinton could have been expected to end his support for Sinn Fein involvement in the peace process as urged by the Ulster Unionist Party, he continued to encourage inclusive allparty talks but on condition that the ceasefire was restored.
Reuters adds: Mr Clinton's home state is deeply split over the allegations - the faithful say they want to believe his denials but others say they feared for years that something like this could happen. But interestingly, Mr Clinton worst's political enemies in Arkansas are keeping quiet for the moment - afraid of a backlash should they be drawn into the controversy.
The Arkansas Republican chairman, Mr Lloyd Stone, said only that Mr Clinton "is entitled to the benefit of the doubt" and that any talk of resignation was premature.
But some Democrats who have supported Mr Clinton's every campaign and who doubt that he is guilty of obstruction of justice privately acknowledge a fear that he may well have engaged in a sexual relationship with a young aide.
"I've been afraid of something like this happening for years," said a prominent Little Rock lawyer with close ties to the Democratic Party and Mr Clinton's state campaigns.